In 1979, Monty Python’s movie “Life Of Brian” caused a lot of stir amongst christians in the world. Due to Sweden’s secular society in that time, the movie had premiere in Stockholm of all places in the world. The movie was forbidden in Norway, where heresy was still a crime. The humorous Monty Python gang had to sit in a debate with christian bishops and defend their brilliant movie.

It didn’t take long before the christians actually cooled down and learned to accept the classical comedy. Since then, religion and mostly Christianity has been a popular theme in comedy, to make jokes about and to chritizise. As an atheist, I have no problem with that. But I have a problem with people, comedians and politicians who have completely surrendered to muslim extremism and let the extreme muslims decide what to joke about and what to not joke about.

The muslim community has an issue when it comes to chritisism. The peaceful religion of humanism and peace, must not be mocked, or otherwise you will be killed. That isn’t a peaceful logic at all. But it is surely a logic that is normalized in a lot of islamist circles. But I cannot see this issue amongst christians, jews, buddhists or hindues at all. Imagine a group of jews gathering in the streets, knocking polices and burning their neighbours cars, just because some fool has burned the Talmud in front of them. Imagine christians cutting the throat of a teacher, whose only crime was to uncover a charicature of Jesus or Maria. That doesn’t sound very familiar doesn’t it.

So why does it always happen when you moch islam? Well, the answer is easy. Muslims often come from countries, where their religious freedom are restricted. Therefore they do not have the same tradition of democracy that we have had in the west. That’s not very strange. But we should never let muslim extremists decide for us what is to critisize or mock. Do not stop mocking religion and critizising it, no matter if it’s christianity, judaism or islam. If we stop chritisizing it, the extremists have won.

You can mock and insult ideas, both ideological and religious. That is not the same thing as mocking and insulting people. I don’t like people burning religious books. But it should not be illegal. That’s very dangerous. If you have an idea you want to share and spread, I will listen. But don’t come and say that I’m not allowed burn your book. Do you really believe that people will find your religion convincing if we’re not allowed to burn your book? Are you really so weak in your faith that you let such nonsense effect you? Come on!